Portable submersible swimming pool heater



July 13, 1965 BORGESQN 3,194,229

PORTABLE SUBMERSIBLE SWIMMING POOL HEATER Filed June 29, 1962 INVENTOR.

AT/URIVE 6' United States Patent 3,194,229 PORTABLE SUBMERSIBLE SWIMMINGPOOL HEATER Donald R. Borgeson, 18301 Riverside Drive, Birmingham, Mich.Fiied June 29, 1962, Ser. No. 206,363 1 Claim. (Cl. 126360) Thisinvention relates to a submersible heater for a body of water and, inparticular, to a highly portable relatively simple and inexpensivesubmersible heater for swimming pools.

It has heretofore been recognized as being desirable to equip outdoorswimming pools, particularly in more northern climes, with heatingsystems for heating the pool water in the interest of extending theswimming season to the maximum extent possible and to otherwisecontribute generally to swimming comfort during the season such as oncool evenings or even during the day when unseasonably cool ambienttemperatures'may occur. As

a consequence, outdoor swimming pools owned by municipalities, privateclubs and the like have quite commonly been equipped with such a heatingsystem which has normally been incorporated in the water circulation andfiltering equipment associated with operation of such a pool. However,such heating systems are relatively large, elaborate, expensive andstationary which, although perhaps not posing too serious a problem forlarge swimming facilities owned by municipalities or private clubs,results in such heating systems being wholly unsatisfactory as apractical matter for use in the majority of relatively small privateresidential pools which have become so popular in recent times with homeowners.

It is, therefore, a principal object and feature of this invention toprovide a submersible water heater for swimming pool which is relativelysimple, inexpensive to purchase and maintain, and safe to operate.

It is another object and feature of this invention to provide asubmersible waterheater for swimming pools comprising a buoyant memberfloatable on the surface of the Water in a pool, a flue assemblyincluding inner and outer radially spaced axially nested and extendingcylindrical flue members each having an upper end supported on theaforementioned buoyant member so as to depend below the surface of thewater with the buoyant member disposed therein, the lower ends of theinner and outer flue members being respectively open and closed to forma tortuous reverse flow path for hot gases flowable down the inner fluemember and up the outer flue member between the latter and the innerflue member, and burner means including blower means mounted on thebuoyant member above the surface of the water for burning a suitablefuel and blowing hot gases along the aforementioned flow path, therebycausing heat to be transferred from the surface of the outer flue memberto water surrounding the latter to heat same.

'It is yet another object and feature of this invention, according toone preferred embodiment thereof, to provide a Water heater of the typeaforementioned further comprising a cylindrical water jacket radiallyspaced from and surrounding the aforementioned outer flue member todefine therewith a water heating chamber, the opposite ends of the waterjacket both being open and the jacket being entirely submerged below thesurface of the water with the buoyant member disposed therein, wherebywater being heated may circulate through the aforementioned heatingchamber between the opposite open ends of the jacket.

It is yet another object and feature of this invention, according toanother preferred embodiment thereof, to provide a water heater of thetype aforementioned fur- 3,194,229 Patented July 13, 1965 ice thercomprising mean supported on the buoyant menu ber of the heater incommunication with the upper end of the outer flue member aforementionedand extending below the surface of the water with the buoyant mem berdisposed therein for underwater discharge of the hot gases and productsof combustion flowing through the aforementioned flue assembly. I

It is yet another object and feature of this invention, according toanother preferred embodiment thereof, to provide a water heater of thetype aforementioned further comprising a plurality of axially extendingcircumferentially spaced fin means on the outer surface of theaforementioned outer flue member and projecting into the water tofacilitate heat transfer thereto and heating thereof. i It is yetanother object and feature of this invention to provide a submersiblewater heater for swimming pools of the type aforementioned furthercharacterized by the fact that the various components thereof, such asthe aforementioned buoyant member, flue members, and water jacket, maybe relatively simply and inexpensively fabricated and assembled ofrelatively lightweight materials thereby resulting in compact, portablewater heater of minimum cost.

These and other objects, features and advantages of the invention willappear more fully hereinafter as the description thereofproceeds,reference being made to the drawing in which:

FIGURE 1 is a longitudinal vertical section through a water heaterdisposed in a heating position in a pool, and illustrates one preferredembodiment of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a view corresponding generally to FIG- URE 1, butillustrates another preferred embodiment of the invention; and I FIGURE3 is a cross sectional view of the flue assembly of a water heater, butillustrates yet another embodiment of the invention.

Referring now to FIGURE 1 and onepreferred embodiment of the invention,the numeral 10 generally indicates a submersible water heater assemblycomprising a buoyant member in the form of an annular hollow sealeddonut 12 fabricated of a suitable metal and floatable upon the surfaceof a body of water in a swimming pool as indicated schematically at 14.A flue assembly comprises a first or inner axially extending cylindricalflue member or tube 16 fabricated of a suitable metal and having axiallyopposite open upper and lower ends 18 and 20, and a second or outeraxially extending cylindrical flue member or tube 22 likewise fabricatedof a suitable metal and having an upper open end 24 and a closed lowerend 26 axially opposite thereto. The open upper ends 18 and 24 of therespective flue members extend into the central opening or donut 12 andare suitably supported therein as by welding the upper open end of theouter flue member to the buoyant member or donut as indicated at 28, andwelding a plurality of thin, circumferentially spaced, radiallyextending fins 3i) between the upper ends of the respective fluemembers. Thus, the outer flue member is supported inradially outwardlyspaced relation to and surrounds the inner flue member with the loweropen end 20 of the latter spaced axially opposite from the closed ends26 of the outer flue member. the flue assembly depends below the surfaceof the water with the buoyant member or donut 12 disposed therein asclearly illustrated in the drawing.

A burner and blower assembly, being of any well known commerciallyavailable variety, is indicated schematically at 32 as comprising thehousing 34 suitably mounted as by a plurality of spaced ribs 36 on thebuoyant member or donut 12 above the surface of the water andcommunicating at its lower end with the open upper end 18 of the innerflue member 16. A fuel line, preferably flexible Furthermore,

3% in nature, is indicated at 38 as being connected to the housing 34and a burner element 40 therein, it will be understood that such lineextends to the edge of the pool where it is connected to a suitablesource of fuel, preferably a natural or propane gas. Fuel suppliedthrough the line 38 to the housing 34 and burner element 40 therein ismixed with air drawn through the air ports 42 in the housing, burnedtherein and the resulting hot gases and combustion products then blownby blower 44 into the open upper end of the inner flue member 16. As aresult, the hot gases and combustion products are blown along a flowpath down through the inner flue member 16 to the lower closed end 26 ofthe outer flue member 22, and then upwardly within the outer flue memberbetween the latter and the inner flue member. As a result, the outerflue member 22 is continuously heated and the combustion gases areexhausted into the atmosphere through the annular exhaust opening 46formed between the upper open ends 18 and 24 of the inner and outer fluemembers, respectively. Consequently, water surrounding the outer surfaceof the outer flue member is heated.

An axially extending cylindrical water jacket 48 tabricated of asuitable metal is radially spaced from and surrounds the outer fluemember 22. The axially opposite upper and lower ends 50 and 52,respectively, of the water jacket are open and suitable means such as. aplurality of circumferentially spaced, radially extending thin metalfins 54 are welded between the outer flue member and the upper end ofthe water jacket to support the latter in axially spaced relation to thebuoyant member or donut 12 so that the entire water jacket is submerged.Thus, the Water jacket 48 defines with the outer flue member 22 anannular Water heating chamber 56 through which water may circulate as itis heated. Consequently, with the burner and blower assembly 32operating as aforedescribed, a continuous circulation of water to beheated results in the water heating chamber, cold water entering theheating chamber through the open lower end of the water jacket 48 andtraveling upwardly therein as it is heated and out the submerged openupper end 50 of the water jacket.

Reference will now be made to FIGURE 2 illustrating another embodimentof the invention, like numerals being employed to indicate partspreviously described in connection with the embodiment of FIGURE 1.Thus, in this embodiment, the water jacket 48 and fins 54 may beeliminated if desired and as shown, while the heater further comprisesan annular plate 58 secured between the upper ends 18 and 24 of theinner and outer flue members to substantially close the annularatmospheric exhaust opening 46, although the plate 58 includes aplurality of circumferentially spaced exhaust openings 60 for exhaustpurposes. A corresponding number of circumferentially spaced and bowedexhaust stacks 62 are provided, each having one end suitably supportedon the plate 58 in communication with a respective one of the exhaustopenings 60 while the other or discharge end 64 of each stack extendsbeyond the edge of the buoyant member or donut 12 and below the surfaceof the water for discharge of the combustion gases and products belowwater level. In this respect, it will be apparent that the fuel selectedfor burning in the burner and blower assembly 32 should not result intoxic, irritant-causing or otherwise objectionable products ofcombustion for discharge into the swimming pool water and, hence, onereason for the preference for using natural or propane gas as the fuel.It should be noted at this juncture, and as will now be readilyapparent, that the stack construction aforedescribed may also beemployed with the water heater illustrated in FIGURE 1 andaforedescribed;

that is, a heater which additionally includes the water jacket 48.

A further modification of a heater constructed in accordance with thisinvention is illustrated in FIGURE 3, like numerals again being employedto indicate parts corresponding to parts previously described inconnection with the embodiment of FIGURE 1. Thus, in this embodiment,the heater differs from those previously described in providing theouter surface of the outer flue member 22 with a plurality of axiallyextending circumferentially spaced fin members 66 which increase thearea of contact of the outer flue member with the water, therebyenhancing heat transfer to the latter. In this respect, it will now beapparent that the fin members 66 may be utilized in the embodimentillustrated in FIGURE 1 which includes the water jacket 48 and asindicated in dotted lines in FIGURE 3, or in the embodiment of FIGURE 2for the purpose aforementioned.

While several forms of the invention have been shown and described,other forms will now be apparent to those skilled in the art. Therefore,it is to be understood that the embodiments shown in the drawing anddescribed above are merely for illustrative purposes, and are notintended to limit the scope of the invention which is defined by theclaim which follows.

' I claim:

A portable submersible heater for swimming pools comprising a buoyantmember floatable on the surface of the water in a pool, a first axiallyextending cylindrical fiue member open at its axially opposite ends, oneopen end of said first flue member being supported on said buoyantmember and the other open end thereof adapted to extend below thesurface of the water when said buoyant member is disposed in the water,a second axially extending cylindrical flue member having an open endand a closed end axially opposite thereto, said second flue member beingspaced from and surrounding said first flue member with said open endthereof supported on said buoyant member and said closed end thereofaxially opposite from said other open end of said first flue member,burner means including blower means supported on said buoyant memberabove the surface of the water and communicating with said one open endof said first flue member to blow hot gases through said first fluemember and between the latter and said second flue member to said openend of the latter, and a plurality of spaced exhaust stacks supported onsaid buoyant member and respectively communicating with said open end ofsaid second flue member, each of said stacks includingan exhaust openingextending below the surface of the Water with said buoyant memberdisposed therein.

References Cited hy the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 806,526 12/05Daly 126-360 1,013,635 1/12 Bardill 126-360 X 1,080,113 12/13 VonKugelgen et a1. 126-360 X 1,114,394 10/14 Sieger 126-360 1,395,399 11/21Doble.

2,226,816 12/40 Hepburn 126-360 X 2,358,302 9/44 Brosius 126-3602,536,608 1/51 Kemp 126-360 2,556,984 6/51 Smith 126-360 2,677,368 5/54Janecek 126-350 FOREIGN PATENTS 486,936 11/29 Germany.

JAMES W. WESTHAVER, Primary Examiner. FREDERICK L. MATTESON, JR.,Examiner.

